2026 World Cup: Spain Defeats Portugal in the Final Moments; Cristiano Ronaldo Eliminated
Spain overcomes even the Cristiano Ronaldo hurdle and advances to the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup: the Red Fury defeats Portugal 1-0 thanks to Merino’s goal in the 91st minute, which decided a complicated and nail-biting match. CR7, now eliminated, played the final minutes of his World Cup career. Spain, which has yet to concede a goal in this tournament, will face the winner of the match between the United States and Belgium in the quarterfinals.
The first half ended scoreless but featured several scoring chances. Oyarzabal squandered a golden opportunity in the 8th minute, badly missing a great assist from Dani Olmo. A few minutes later, Ronaldo tried unsuccessfully to test Unai Simon. The Red Fury were initially more active; in the 17th minute, Yamal tested Diogo Costa with a curling shot, and just seconds later, Costa made a spectacular diving save to deflect a shot from the edge of the box by Baena out for a corner. As the minutes passed, and especially after the water break, Portugal began to take control of the game while Spain lost its rhythm and unpredictability, with Lamine Yamal failing to make an impact. After a chance by CR7 in the 37th minute, it was Nuno Mendes who rattled the crossbar of Spain’s goal with a left-footed shot deflected by Porro onto the woodwork.
In the second half, Portugal immediately suffered a setback when Nuno Mendes had to leave the game due to a muscle injury; Semedo came on in his place. The match remained evenly balanced, but the pace was slow, and above all, Spain couldn’t find its rhythm, remaining very measured and predictable.
As the minutes ticked by, the tension mounted given what was at stake, and scoring chances were few and far between: both teams were afraid of making a mistake that could prove fatal. Ferran Torres’s entry in the 75th minute breathes new life into De La Fuente’s team, but Portugal’s defense remains solid. Martinez sends Rafael Leao into the fray, followed by two other stars, Bernardo Silva and Conceição (replacing Vitinha and Neto). Spain responds by bringing on Merino and Fabián Ruiz.
Extra time now seems inevitable, but the deadlock is broken in the 91st minute by the two fresh substitutes: a sudden surge by Spain, Ferran Torres conjures up a through ball that splits Portugal’s defense, passing to Merino, who beats the off-his-line Diogo Costa for the goal that secures a spot in the quarterfinals. In the closing minutes, Portugal pushed forward; in the 97th minute, Bernardo Silva came close to equalizing off an assist from Conceição, but the ball went just over the bar: Portugal’s hopes ended there.
